Viarsa 1
Encyclopedia
Viarsa 1 was a Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

-flagged fishing vessel famous for its involvement in a high seas chase.

Chase

On 7 August 2003, Australian Customs and Fisheries patrol vessel Southern Supporter spotted Viarsa 1 in Australian territorial waters near Heard Island. Suspecting the vessel of illegal fishing for toothfish, the Australians ordered the crew to stop. They fled, and this began a chase that would last for three weeks. The pair of vessels faced huge seas and numerous icebergs, and the rivalry was briefly suspended when the fishermen became lost in Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...

 sea ice and were directed to safety by the Australian sailors.

As the chase progressed across thousands of nautical miles of ocean, Southern Supporter was joined by the South African salvage tug
Salvage tug
A salvage tug is a specialized type of tugboat which is used to rescue or marine salvage ships which are in distress or in danger of sinking, or which have already sunk or run aground....

 John Ross and polar icebreaker SAS Agulhas and Falkland Islands-based British fisheries patrol boat Dorada. On August 28, after 3900 nautical miles (7,222.8 km), the contingent, led by Australian Customs Officer Steve Duffy, surrounded Viarsa 1 2000 nautical miles (3,704 km) south-west of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

Meanwhile a steaming party of Australian personnel flew to South Africa and boarded the oiler SAS Drakensberg, which met the other ships on September 3. Southern Supporter and Viarsa 1 arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...

on October 3. Viarsa 1 captain Ricardo Mario Ribot Cabrera and his four shipmates posted bail and were ordered to remain close by and await legal proceedings. They found lodging at a hostel for merchant seamen.

Trial

Despite the 97 tonnes of toothfish found on board the vessel, representatives for the owners of Viarsa 1 were able to secure an acquittal by jury in November 2005. After two trials and two years, the seamen were free to return to their home countries.

Salvage

According to the environmental advocacy group Oceana, Viarsa 1 was scrapped at an Indian shipyard.

Sources and external links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK